The Resident Evil movie franchise is being rebooted with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and it's been clear from the get-go that this new movie is going to be more accurate to the video games. The Resident Evil movie set photos that have come out confirmed long ago that Welcome to Raccoon City was going to stick to the games from a visual standpoint, and now that the trailer is out, there's no doubt that the film will be mostly accurate to the video games it's based on.
The Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City trailer is out, setting up the story, introducing the characters, and showing off some of the monsters that they will come face to face with over the course of the film. The Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City trailer is full of video game Easter eggs and references for eagle-eyed fans to spot, including some hints about what may coming up in potential sequels to this first movie.
Here are all the video game Easter eggs and references that we spotted in the first Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City trailer. It's entirely possible that there will be even more Easter eggs to find in the film itself once it premieres next month, so fans should keep that in mind.
Claire Redfield's Classic Outfit from Resident Evil 2
The Resident Evil movie trailer makes it clear that Claire Redfield is going to be the main protagonist of the film, and it seems like she's going to be a mostly games-accurate representation of the character. The filmmakers have even brought Claire's classic outfit from the video games to the movie, complete with a red leather jacket and motorcycle helmet. It looks like Claire will be showing up in Raccoon City in the movie just as she did in the video games.
Umbrella Operatives
For a very brief moment in the Resident Evil movie trailer, fans get a glimpse of some gas mask-wearing Umbrella operatives. It's entirely possible that one of these operatives is the infamous Umbrella operative known as HUNK, but it's also possible that these are simply generic Umbrella grunts. Answers are unlikely to come until the movie drops, so it will be interesting to see if HUNK makes an appearance in the film or not.
Resident Evil 2 Heart Key
The Resident Evil video games are all about collecting keys to open doors and solve puzzles, and it looks like the movie will be paying homage to that. There's a split-second moment in the Resident Evil movie trailer where fans can see Claire Redfield using the Heart Key. For the uninitiated, the Heart Key is an item in Resident Evil 2 that Claire needs to acquire in order to fully explore the Raccoon City Police Department. It's unclear if Claire and Leon will need to collect the other keys that they do in the video games or not.
Resident Evil 2 Parking Garage
The Resident Evil 2 parking garage is represented in the movie trailer with a parking garage that looks like the spitting image of the one from the game. In the movie, Chief Irons is being attacked by a zombie dog. Between the identical parking garage and the Heart Key, it seems that the Raccoon City Police Department from the movie will look pretty close to how it does in the Resident Evil 2 video game.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica Ashford Twins
One of the most unexpected reveals in the Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City movie trailer was the inclusion of the Ashford twins from Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Since the movie is mainly adapting Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2, it's safe to say many didn't expect the Resident Evil Code: Veronica villains to make an appearance, yet the trailer shows a film reel not unlike the one seen in the video game. It even looks like Alfred Ashford is pulling wings off a dragonfly as he does in the video game, though it's too tough to see exactly what he's fiddling with.
In case there was any doubt that the kids seen in the film reel were the Ashford twins, the next clip in the trailer shows a film reel box that is labeled Ashford Twins.
Lisa Trevor File
A big part of the Resident Evil video games is finding and reading files to learn more about Umbrella's evil doings, and it seems that will be retained in the Resident Evil movie. The trailer shows the characters reading a file on Lisa Trevor, detailing the experiments Umbrella conducted on her over the years. The file is interesting, making reference to Umbrella scientist William Birkin, the Progenitor virus, and the G-Virus as well.
Resident Evil First Zombie
One of the most iconic and scariest scenes in the entire Resident Evil franchise is when players encounter their first zombie in the original Resident Evil game. Many will recall walking up behind the zombie as it's feasting on a victim, only for it to turn around slowly and make eye contact with the player. It seems that this scene has been recreated for the Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City movie, which is a detail that fans will no doubt appreciate.
Resident Evil Itchy Tasty
In the original Resident Evil game, players come across a note written by an Umbrella employee as he slowly succumbs to the T-Virus and turns into a zombie. His descent into madness is detailed in The Keeper's Diary, and after reading it, players are bombarded with one of the franchise's most effective jump scares as a zombie bursts out of a nearby closet. This scene is being recreated in the Resident Evil movie, though it's going to play out a bit differently.
Instead of reading The Keeper's Diary, the words "Itchy" and "Tasty" are written on a window in blood. A zombie then bursts through a door and attacks Claire, so it keeps the spirit of the original jump scare, even if it involves different characters and a different method of delivering the "Itchy. Tatsy." message.
Chris Redfield and His Lighter
The Resident Evil video games start players out with different items depending on which character they pick. One of Chris Redfield's starting items is a lighter, and it appears as though he will be using it in the Resident Evil movie as well. In the trailer, viewers can see Chris Redfield exploring some kind of dark area, using the lighter to see, and he winds up coming face to face with a zombie.
Mutated William Birkin
With the Resident Evil movie being based on the plots of the first two Resident Evil games, it should come as no surprise to fans that William Birkin's mutated form is going to make an appearance. It will likely be the "big bad" that the protagonists have to face off against, though it's possible that the original Tyrant will make an appearance as well. Resident Evil fans will just have to watch the movie to find out for sure.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City premieres November 24 in theaters.